Bloomberg Law has dockets and the corresponding case documents in bankruptcy cases. Dockets are available by chapter, including Chapter 7, 13, 9, 15, and 11. Documents in pdf may be linked from the docket if the docket offers a "view" option; other documents are available on request if they are available in PACER . Docket searching available by court, docket number, party, judge, attorney or firm, date range, and case status, plus keywords from the document descriptions. Specific bankruptcy docket search options include chapter number and nature of the suit (dischargeability, fraudulent transfer). Set up docket tracking to notify you of new documents in a tracked case.
Note that Bloomberg Law has caps on docket retrieval for law school accounts.
Westlaw Bankruptcy Practitioner Insights has limited Trial Court Documents. Fields to search in Advanced Search include parties, attorney, docket number, and court, as well as full text. Federal Bankruptcy Court Dockets has dockets to search, but documents are not available on the law school subscription.
Dockets and case documents for large Chapter 11 cases are often available free on the web. Contents and formats of the documents available will vary, but may include the docket, reorganization plans, schedules, lists of creditors, First Day Motions, orders, and notices.
Making documents available online helps to meet the requirements of the trustee and Debtor-in-Possession under §704(7), §1106(a)(1), and §1107(a) to furnish information concerning the estate and the estate’s administration. There is no single directory or index for finding them, although documents for many Chapter 11 cases are available on the websites for claims agents and bankruptcy notice providers, including Kurtzman Carson Consultants, Epiq Bankruptcy Solutions, and BMC Group. Try a search using Google (or another search engine) with the name of the debtor company and “docket,” "first day motions," “chapter 11 reorganization,” or the particular document you're looking for.
Bankruptcy Court websites frequently include calendars, orders, and opinions, and may include links to pending mega cases. See:
Legal news stories and blogs may report on, provide the docket number for, and link to filings and other documents for new bankruptcy cases.
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records): Federal court dockets and some court documents, including for bankruptcy cases, are available in PACER. Use requires a PACER password. Since PACER is not searchable, start with a docket number. There are fees for using PACER. Emory law students should use dockets on Bloomberg Law instead unless their project requires setting up an individual account (from the student's own funds).
Bankruptcy courts offer electronic notices to creditors and interested parties through the Bankruptcy Electronic Noticing Center.
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